Murder At The Majestic Hotel

By: Clara McKenna

Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman

Leaving behind tragedies surrounding their wedding at Morrington Hall, travel-worn Stella and Lyndy arrive at the grand Majestic Hotel in York to more misfortune-their stately honeymoon suite has been given away to Horace Wingrove, owner of England's largest confectionery. Stella refuses to let an innocent booking mistake spoil the mood, but her optimism vanishes when Horace suffocates in the room where she and Lyndy should have stayed . . .

Unlike authorities on the scene, Stella can't believe the business magnate's death can be explained away as an accident. Troubling signs are everywhere--strange murmurs in the hallway, tight-lipped hotel staff, and a stolen secret recipe for Wingrave's famous chocolate. Then there are Horace's murky intentions for visiting the historic cathedral city, and those who were closely watching his every move . . .

As Stella and Lyndy tour Yorkshire and mingle with royals as husband and wife, they face a sinister mystery that puts their vows to the test. Can the couple work together to discover the truth about their romantic destination and the strange happenings haunting their trip before they're treated to another terrifying surprise?

©2022 Anna Loan-Wilsey (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Soooo good

I listen to a lot of these series this series is by far my favorite. I hope there’s more to come with Lyndy and Stella.

Would be 5 stars, except…

I do love these books! The series caught my eye because this installment has York on the cover, and York is my favorite place. I spend a lot of time in Yorkshire.

The story really carries you along. The characters are engaging and the plots keep you guessing, for the most part. Real page-turners, so to speak. My only question was: Why book Stella’s mother into a boarding house and not the same hotel they were enjoying?

One thing sets my teeth on edge about the audiobook version: the narrator’s lack of authenticity. In the beginning, the narrator keeps saying, ”York Minister” or “The Minister.” York Minster has only one “i.” How can the narrator read it wrong more than once in Chapter 1, but right in Chapter 2? She also completely ignored the distinctive Yorkshire accent. If she hadn’t, then she might have said the word “nowt” correctly. In her narration, everyone in Britain (except Americans) has the same, posh accent, with rare exceptions. The Yorkshire people are curiously devoid of their distinctive accent. For those familiar with the accent, it’s a bit incongruous to hear a Yorkshire Detective using words like “summat” and “nowt” in an accent closer to the aristocracy.

Narrators: do your research and get the dialects right.

Better mystery than previous books

Although the author relies on coincidences to move things along (much worse in previous books) this one is less annoying. Multiple mysteries make for more interesting plot. The reader’s voice is good but does feel repetitive if you’ve listened to others read by her. All in all decent series. And at least this one the author isn’t pretending she knows about horses.

Loved it!

I love this series and this one was awesome! I look forward to Lyndy and Stella’s adventures. I highly recommend it!

too drawn out

Let me start by saying I love cozy mysteries, especially ones with a strong female lead like Jacqueline Winspear's Mazie Dobbs books, or Charles Todd's Bess Crawford books , and the first 3 books in this series held up well in comparison. However this one seemed like the author had a deadline and had to have a certain number of words, so she filled it up with trivia rather than story. I know Stella and Lyndy were on their honeymoon, but i got very tired of them drooling over each other. I will probably try the next book, but depends on the price.